Wisdom
'WISDOM' The Morality trait for mages is characterized as Wisdom, the ability to balance the needs of this world with a yearning for the higher world. For the Awakened, morality is the quest to attain the Mysteries without perishing in their crucible. Mages who are true to themselves and keep their pledge to the Mysteries can free their souls from the trap of the Fallen World. Those who betray themselves or the Mysteries fall deeper into Endless Night, the maw of the Abyss. The Awakened have seen a glimpse of the Invisible Truth, which makes them what they are. Wisdom is the quality keeping them from mistaking that glimpse as the whole truth. In many ways, Wisdom is acknowledging how much a mage doesn’t understand or know. It’s the drive to keep searching, the ability to remain humble while wielding the power of the gods. Mages failing to comprehend these lessons fall victim to their own hubris. 'Hubris' When a mage acts against Wisdom, it’s called an “act of hubris,” because the equilibrium of the Tapestry is momentarily obscured by the mage’s own ego. These are also called “acts of blindness,” because a mage is blinded to the repercussions of his desires. Acts of hubris are sins against the Morality of Wisdom. See below for the acts a mage must beware of. In addition, mages are still mortal and must abide by the same moral tenets as any human, as outlined in the various sins against Morality in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 91. These sins are reproduced on the chart below, to emphasize that they, too, are transgressions against Wisdom. As with all transgressions against Morality, if a mage commits an act of hubris, a degeneration roll must be made for him to see if he loses a dot of Wisdom. Mages feel the tug of their own conscience when they are about the commit an act of hubris. Their arrogance may allow them to overlook it, but the Storyteller should always inform a player when a chosen course of action constitutes an act of hubris for the character, allowing the player to change it if desired. A failed degeneration roll means the mage’s player must also make a Wisdom roll to resist acquiring a derangement. See the World of Darkness Rulebook, pp. 96–100, for information on derangements. The new derangement is linked to the lost dot of Wisdom; it persists until the character recovers the lost dot, regaining his moral center and sufficient Wisdom to overcome the personal flaw. The following is a unique hierarchy of sins for use with Mage characters. 'ROLL RESULT S' When making a degeneration roll, use only the dice pool associated with the sin committed. Likewise, when rolling Harmony to check for a derangement, do not add other Attributes or traits. You may not spend Willpower to gain a +3 modifier on either kind of roll, though other situational bonuses or penalties may apply. *'Dramatic Failure: '''Not possible on either kind of roll. At no point is a chance roll made. *'Failure: On a degeneration roll, your character loses the struggle to maintain his standards of morality when faced with the reality of his sin. He loses one dot of Harmony. On a Harmony roll, he gains a derangement. *'Success: '''Your character emerges from his crisis of conscience with his sense of right and wrong intact. His Harmony is unchanged and he remains as sane as before. *'Exceptional Success: 'Your character re-dedicates himself to his convictions in the wake of his sin, driven by remorse and horror at the deeds he has committed. Not only does his Harmony remain unchanged on a degeneration roll, he gains a point of Willpower (which cannot exceed his Willpower dots). No special bonuses are gained for an exceptional Harmony roll when testing for a derangement. 'Effects of Wisdom *A mage with a high Wisdom radiates a certain trustworthiness to spiritual beings. A mage with a Wisdom of 9 or 10 gains a +1 bonus on Social rolls when dealing with spirits. Likewise, a mage with low Wisdom exudes perfidy and selfishness. A mage with a Wisdom of 1 or 2 suffers a –1 dice penalty on social rolls when dealing with spirits. *A mage with a Wisdom of 9 or 10 gains a +1 dice bonus when contesting or countering the supernatural powers of Abyssal beings. Likewise, a mage with a Wisdom of 1 or 2 suffers a –1 dice penalty when contesting or countering Abyssal powers. *• Wisdom helps a mage combat the effects of a Paradox. The higher the Wisdom, the lower the Paradox’s duration and the greater the odds that its effect won’t be worsened. See “Paradoxes,” pp. 268-273. *Mages with good Wisdom ratings have a better chance of being accepted for apprenticeship by other mages. Most mages spend time watching a prospective pupil before they commit to teaching. They don’t want their power to be misused, so the candidate must display a proper respect for the Mysteries and their use. If a mage should suffer Wisdom degeneration during this time of observation, the teacher might levy a disciplinary practice or task for the pupil to perform before he is allowed to begin his studies. If the pupil had gained a derangement with his Wisdom degeneration, the teacher is within rights to summarily deny apprenticeship. <<<< BACK